By By BRIAN HAINES, Brian@wdnweb.com, Sports Writer
GREENVILLE — Playing UAB on a Thursday night may shorten the week for East Carolina, but after losing two straight games by a total of 125-70, not having too much time to focus on anything else but the Blazers might not be such a bad thing.
If they had time to peek in the review mirror the Pirates would see that they have allowed 786 rushing yards in the past two games, a 49-35 loss to Conference USA rival UCF and a 76-35 loss to Navy (independent), and that they currently rank 115 out of 120 FBS teams in total defense by allowing 456.9 yards per contest.
The Pirates (5-4, 4-1) return to conference play with the second best C-USA record, and sit in second place right behind UCF who is tops with a 7-2 (5-0) record. ECU will try for the third straight week to clinch bowl eligibility for the fifth-straight season.
The Blazers (3-6, 2-3), who have had four of its eight games decided on the final play (lost two, won two), sit in fifth place in the East division of C-USA.
East Carolina enters tonight’s matchup allowing an astounding 221.6 rushing (118th in the country) and 235.3 passing yards (89th) per game.
With stats like that it’s no wonder why stops are hard to come by. The Pirates allowed Navy to score on 12 of its 14 possessions during last Saturday’s blowout, and have forced only one punt in the last eight quarters.
Of course when a team loses 76-35, you have to point the finger at everyone. East Carolina entered the third quarter down 28-21 and started the second half by getting the ball. However, four third-quarter fumbles kept the defense on the field and its back against the wall.
“Offensively, I thought we moved the ball well, especially in the first half,” ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill said. “The turnovers after the half really put us behind, put Navy in great field position and put our defense in a tough situation. To have four turnovers right after the half was tough.”
The tough part for the Pirates is that while they can make week-to-week and in-game adjustments to what opposing offenses are doing, there is no adjustment that will add size and experience to its defensive line.
The Pirates will battle UAB with a starting D-line that consists of true freshman defensive end Derrell Johnson, redshirt freshman defensive end Matt Milner, sophomore defensive tackle Robert Jones and senior defensive tackle Josh Smith, who has been playing with neck pain.
The Blazers feature a balanced offensive attack that has the fifth-best rushing attack in C-USA (166 ypg), while their 241 passing yards per contest is also fifth-best in the league.
UAB has played two quarterbacks this year with Bryan Ellis being more of the passer and David Isabelle coming in as more of the runner.
Bryan has had a solid season and won the C-USA Player of the Week award twice this season. On the year, Bryan is posting 238 passing yards per game (fourth in the conference) and has hit on 55 percent of his passes for 1,910 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine picks.
Isabelle has only attempted 50 passes this year, but he is second on the team in rushing behind Pat Shed (607 yards) with 394 rushing yards and a 5.5 ypc average.
It’s a good bet that after seeing the ECU defense get destroyed by the run, that UAB coach Neil Callaway will use Isabelle often and in the same manner the Blazers used running quarterback Joe Webb (now with the Vikings) a year ago.
When asked if he expected teams to run a lot more against the Pirates defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell said, “I don’t know what I’m going to see (in the future). I’m going to defend what they put on tape and if we need to add another guy into the box to stop the run that’s what we are going to do.”
When UAB does pass it will look to go to 6-2, 195-pound senior wide receiver Frantrell Forrest who leads the team 38 catches for 555 yards and four TDs. Forrest is second on the school’s all-time receptions list with 163.
There is no doubt the Pirates will look to pass tonight as they boast the No. 1 air attack in the conference and post 316 yards per game. Junior quarterback Dominique Davis continues to have an excellent season in first-year coordinator Lincoln Riley’s offense.
Davis leads the nation in completions per game and points responsible for and had one of his better games of the year in last week’s debacle against Navy.
Davis hit on 43 of his 65 pass attempts for 413 yards, five touchdowns and most importantly, no interceptions.
While injuries to defensive linemen Michael Brooks and Marke Powell have hurt the ECU defense, the offense has not gone completely unscathed either. Running back Jonathan Williams, who had two fumbles against Navy, has been battling a rib injury, while star wideout Dwayne Harris suffered a lower back contusion and may not play on special teams tonight.
“Jonathan Williams had some fumbles, but played hurt the entire game. He hadn’t taken a hit all week,” McNeill said. “Jonathan came out of the game after his first run, looked me in the eyes and said it hurt. He then went back in the game on the next play. He finished with almost 100 yards rushing.”
Williams ran 12 times for 94 yards and caught six passes for 75 yards against Navy. Williams now has 40 receptions on the year, the most ever for an ECU running back.
UAB will look to slow down the Pirates offense with a 4-3 defense that is led by promising sophomore middle linebacker Marvin Burdette who is tied with the Pirates’ Dustin Lineback for the fifth-most tackles in the conference with 82.
Behind him is standout corner T.J. Ballou. The 6-2, 200-pound junior is second in the league with 11 passes defended and third in interceptions with three.
Senior defensive end Bryant Turner leads the Blazers in sacks with five.